Ibrahim El Mously High School Dist@nce-Le@rning

2nd YEAR BACCALAUREATE

UNIT 10 :
Brain Drain
Reading and Vocabulary
Instr. Abdelkarim
Foulfoula
School Year : 2019
A. MATCH EATCH QUESTION WITH ITS CORRESPONDING ANSWER IN THE INTERVIEW.
JOURNALIST :
1) Mr. Kilani, there’s been much discussion on
the issue of brain drain in North Africa. In
Morocco’s case, how does the massive
departure of educated and professional youths
to developed countries affect the country’s
social progress and its economic prosperity ?
2) So, what causes some of our finest young
minds to leave the country for more favorable
geographic, socio-economic destinations ? And
how does the government deal with such a
serious issue ?
3) Some experts on the matter insist, however,
that we need to consider the emigration of
those bright minds and qualified professionals
as a rather important asset or add value to our
country’s development. What do you think ?
1 c 2 a 3 b
EXPERT :
a) That’s true. Brain drain could indeed become brain gain if
these qualified individuals are willing to return to their
motherland and contribute with whatever talents and fresh
experiences they’ve got to its progress.
b) Well, the country is losing many of its brightest students,
top professors, doctors, scientists, technicians, engineers,
researchers, and other skilled professionals. In fact, there’s a
lot to be done to control this human capital flight towards
destination countries. It’s a big loss of valuable manpower,
which has negative effects on our sustainable development.
c) I think the push factors are many, but the main ones are
poverty, unemployment, low wages, discouraging working
conditions, or simply political or social considerations
including a search for more individual freedoms or political
asylum. It’s a big loss of valuable manpower. The government
now seeks to create more job opportunities, attractive
working environments (or let’s call them pull factors) to
ambitious and aspiring youths. Also, considering pay raise is
an urgent necessity at this point.
B. FIND IN THE JOURNALISTS’ QUESTIOSNS EXPRESSIONS WHICH MEAN :

1. the emigration of ( question 1) : the departure of

2. a big problem ( question 2 ) : a serious issue

3. Competent employees ( question 3 ) : qualified professionals

C. FIND IN THE EXPERT’S ANSWERS EXPRESSIONS WHICH MEAN :

1. home country ( answer a ) : motherland

2. brain drain ( answer b ) : human capital flight
3. workforce( answer c ) : manpower
D. UNSCRAMBLE THE FOLLOWING TO GIVE A PROPER DEFINITON FOR BRAIN DRAIN :

host countries / highly qualified / the emigration of / individuals and professionals / home
countries / to search for / from / living and working conditions / to / better / Brain drain is
Brain drain is the emigration of highly qualified individulas and professionals from
home countries to host countries to search for better living and working conditions.

E. READ THE INTERVIEW AGAIN TO COMPLETE THIS CHART ABOUT BRAIN DRAIN :
People Involved : Push Factors : Pull Factors :
- scientists - poverty - pay raise
- professors - unemployment - more job opportunities
- students - low wages - attractive working environments
- doctors - discouraging working conditions - more individual freedoms
- engineers - political and social considerations - political asylum
- researchers
Effects
- loss of manpower - negative effects on sustainable development
- loss of qualified individuals - negative effect on the economy
F. MATCH THESE WORDS / EXPRESSIONS WITH THEIR OPPOSITES FROM THE LIST.
a. Pull factors c. High salaries e. Employment g. Poor i. Return
b. Poverty d. Brain drain f. Motherland h. Developed j. Destination countries
1. Source countries # 6. Host country #
Destination countries Motherland
2. Brain gain # 7. Prosperity #
Brain drain Poverty
3. Joblessness # Unemployment 8. Rich #
Poor
4. Under-developed # Developed 9. Low wages # High salaries
5. Push factors # Push factors 10. Departure # return

G. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS FROM THE LIST.

emigration qualified working host gain manpower low home

According to a brain drainer, __________________ wages and the absence of encouraging ___________________
low working
conditions cause the ______________________ of hundreds of _____________________ individuals from their
emigration qualified
________________ countries towards Europe and other ______________________ countries . It’s a big loss of
home
__________________________ host
for the motherland, and a brain ___________________ for the destination countries.
manpower gain